Hair drier



D. B. CRAFTS HA'IR DRIER April 18, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30, 1948 FIG. 2

INVENTOR D. B. CRAFTS ATTORNEY April 18, 1950 D. B. CRAFTS 2,504,394

HAIR DRIER Filed June so, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet IN VEN TOR. D. B. CRAFTS ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '7 Claims.

This invention relates to beauty culture and more particularly to the improvement of the personal appearance and the simplification and convenience of the operations required in so doing. The invention particularly contemplates a hair drier for quickly and efiiciently drying the hair.

Hair driers commonly in use are heated in Various ways including electrically. They are relatively expensive and cumbersome to use and to store. They also afford discomfort to persons treated, on account of the noise that they produce, and for other reasons they are unsatisfactory, particularly for home use on account of their bulkiness, expense, and among other things, the difiiculty of handling and storing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and efiicient hair drier which can be easily and cheaply produced with minimum labor, of readily available stock, which can be used with minimum effort either in a beauty parlor or in the home, which is constructed to employ heat from various sources including from a stove, a gas burner, an electric heating element or other desired source, and a drier which can be kept in a collapsed compact condition when not in use, but can be readily extended or unfolded for use with minimum effort and expenditure of time.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the foil-owing specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating one embodiment of the invention in a position of use;

Fig. 2, an enlarged perspective with parts broken away for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 3, a reduced plan View with the parts extended;

- Fig. 4, a plan view of the parts in collapsed or folded position; and

Fig. 5, a perspective of a modified form with the parts in extended position.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a collapsible casing or housing of light weight construction with the parts joined in a manner to permit folding or collapsing of the same. The casing is adapted to be supported by a suitable stand in position to receive the head of a person sitting on a chair or other object and whose hair is to be dried. In the other end of the casing heat is adapted to be received from a stove, electric heating element or other source convenient or easily accessible. In order to properly direct the flow of heated air within the casing,

one or more deflectors is provided and the end portions of the casing are foldable or adjustable to vary the amount of heat flowing therethrough and the insertion and removal of the head of the individual being treated.

With continued reference to the drawings, the drier of the present invention includes a. pair of sides It], each with hinge portions I I on one edge and with slots l2 on the opposite edge. The upper forward end portions of the sides are preferably provided with straight edge surfaces l3, I4, and I5 and the rear end portion of each side is provided with an inclined straight extremity or edge I6.

Two of such sides H] are maintained in spaced relation by a top H which tapers in width slightly from its front towards its rear. This top has hinge portions l8 at each side which cooperate with and are connected to the hinge portions ll. Hinge pins I 9 extend through the hinge portions of the top and sides and maintain them in assembled relation.

A bottom for the casing is formed of plates 20 and 2|, having hinge portions 22 and 23 connected by a hinge pin 24. This two part or divided bottom construction permits the plates to be disposed either in a single plane, in two planes, or in any intermediate position. The plates which constitute the bottom are provided with hinge portions 25 which extend through the slots I2 in one of the sides Ill and with tongues or projections 26 for location in the slots S2 in the other side ID of the casing.

The rear end of the bottom is located in subtantially the same position as the rear end of the top or slightly forwardly thereof when the parts are in operative position. The bottom is of a different configuration on account of each plate having a convex recess 21 and 28 to accommodate the neck of the person whose hair is to be dried.

Across the upper forward portion of the casing are disposed transverse head plates or flaps 29, 30, and 3|, having end flanges 32, 33, and 34 adapted to overlie the sides 10 when the parts are in operative position. The transverse plate or flap 29 and the front end of the top ll are provided with complementary hinge portions 35 and 36 held together by means of a pivot pin 31. The plates 30 and 29 are connected by means of complementary hinge portions 38 and 39, respectively, and a pin 4|]. The plates 3| and 30 are connected by complementary hinge portions 4| and 42, respectively, and a connecting pin 43. The plate 3| which preferably has a straight forward edge is adapted to turn on its pivot pin as,

are the plates 30 and 29 in order to permit easy access of the head of the person whose hair is to be dried and to engage the edges of the side plates Hi.

If desired, transverse plate or flap 3| may be given an asbestos or other heat insulating and fire resistant covering 44, and the interior of the sides In each may likewise be given heat insulating and fire-resistant covering 45, so that the plate may be grasped withoutfear or danger'of burning the fingers and the head may be disposed in the drier without burning the face. The heat insulating and fire resistant covering 44 and H may be secured in position by means of rivets 46 or other desired fastening elements.

At the rear end of the top a transverseflap or tail plate 41 is pivoted to the top plate by means of hinge portions 48 and 49 connected by a pin 50, the joint thus produced being of frictional type which permits the disposition of the tail plate at any desired angle controlling the amount of heat admitted as well as the deflection and consequent, direction of heated air entering the casing. n i M It will thus be readily understood that a drier casing is provided having two sides, a top, and a bottom with one end adapted to receive heated air to be discharged through the other slightly larger end. Also on account of the pivot plates at the inlet and outlet ends of the casing, the volumeof air admitted to the casing as well as its direction and velocity therethrough may be modified. The flexibility of the drier is enhanced by the adjustable flaps at the entrance and exit ends of the casing by means of which the amount of heated air directed upon the hair being dried may-be varied.

With the structure described a controlled amount of heated air may be admitted into the rear of the casing and discharged through a controlled passage onto the hair to'be dried. Additional deflection or direction of heated air may be accomplished by means of a deflector plate connected by a hinge 52 to the top IT. This defiector plate is preferably provided with a concave recess 53 at its bottom to cause heated air passing beneath this lower extremity to con-- centratedly direct the heated air about theneck of the individual whose hair is being dried so that such heat may pass upwardly through the hair around the head.

The casing may be supportedin any desired manner, as for example bymeans of a sleeve 54 preferably open at oneend only-for'the reception of-- a twisted arm 55-at theupper endofianfiupright portion 56 ofa bracket 51provided.withn-a :socket 58 forthe reception'ofa post:59.vertically slidable ina yoEe- 69' mounteduponianother :post BI-on a base 62.. The posts '59' and El maybe secured in fixed relation by means-f a thumb screw 63; Thus the'height of theudrie'rrmay be varied in accordance with requirements;

As shown in Fig. 1 the personrwh'ose hair is to bedriedrmay sit in a .chair fi luandzreceivexheat from the front burner 6520f astove 6E. The height of the chair 'or other seatish'ould be such that the casing is disposed at .the properidistance rem the source of heat and the head :of the 'in-' dividual will be located in the proper position within the casing.

'It will be readily apparent from -the foregoing that a hair drier is provided which is relatively simple-and consequently inexpensive to produce, whichconsists of a casing ofrreleitively thinzwall structure with means for directing and deflecting the heat in the most advantageous manner, for efiiciently drying the hair which device can be readily set up for use or collapsed and stored and is equally usable in a beauty parlor or in the home, and further is of light weight and durable construction.

Instead of providing a casing of sheet material, a casing of a framework with a flexible fabriclike covering may be employed. In Fig. 5 is shown a frame consisting of wire. bows 81, 68, 69, I0, and 'H- thecorrespondi'ng ends" of each of which are provided with loops or eyes connected by means of bolts or pivot '52. Thus it is apparent that the frame formed by the bows may be disposed in collapsed relation or in expanded relation and maintained in such expanded condition by means of spreading elements 73, each of said spreading elements having an eye or loop H at one end mounted upon or about the bow El and having a yoke 15 at its other end for ena ing with the remote bow Hon the opposite side of the pivot '12. The frame thus described covered with ahood l6 and this hood or drier casing is preferably. of a fire-resistant material suchas glass cloth or some other substanceof fire-resistant qualities.

Also the hood l6 may be provided with 'oneor more deflecting websormembers TI and 18 in the hows it: and it between the front-and rear extremities of the same and the rear edges 19 and 8% :are inwardly curved as shown. The front and rear-portions of the hood likewise extend 'down- ..-.v at an inclination from the top as in the red-formof the invention. it ith the preferred form of the inventionthe weight is in the center, but with this lighter-em= bodiment itzmay besupportedon any desired type ofbracket' loop 3!, the distribution of weight being a minor factor.

While the device is designed for the drying of hair; it'may be used-for other purposes, including the application of air, either heated or cooled, the caging of a light; or for other purposes.

It will'be obvious to those skilled'in the art that various changes may be made-in the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore-theinvention is not limited by that which is shown inthe drawing and described in the specification but only 'as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hair dryer comprising a collapsible casing. of relatively thin heat resistant material and including spaced sides with slots therein, a' lon'gi tud'inally divided bottom and a top, both of which being tapered. from front to rear, said bottom being pivoted at oneedge in the slots in one of said sides and having tongues at its other :edge for removable engagement in slots in the other side, said top including a fiat portion, a rear end flap pivotly 'andfiictionally connected to said top and supportable at different angular positions, three front end flaps pivot-1y connected together and to the front'of the top, said flaps each::being provided with end flangesfor over-' lying the-sides of 'the casing, the outermost front end flap and the flap at the rear end of the top pivoted together, said top having a flat portion, a rear end flap pivotly and frictionally connected to said top and supportable at different angular positions, three front end flaps pivotly connected together and to the front of the top, said last mentioned flaps being provided with end flanges for overlying the sides of the casing, the outermost front flap and the flap at the rear end of the top projecting downwardly, and a defiector having a curved lower edge frictionally pivoted in a manner to be held in different angular positions within said casing.

3. A hair dryer comprising a collapsible casing of relatively thin heat resistant material and including spaced sides, a bottom and a top, all pivoted together, said top including a flat portion, and front and rear end flaps pivotly and frictionally connected to said top and supportable at different angular positions, and the flap at the rear end of the top projecting downwardly, when in their lowermost positions, and a deflector having a, curved lower edge frictionally pivoted in a manner to be held in different angular positions within said casing.

4. A hair dryer comprising a collapsible casing of relatively thin heat resistant material and including spaced sides, a bottom, and a top, all pivoted together, members disposable across the front and rear ends of said casing and when in one position projecting downwardly, and a deflector adjustable in said casing.

5. A device of the character described comprising a collapsible hood-like structure of relatively thin material having a top portion inclined generally upwardly from its rear toward its front, and having downwardly directed front and rear end portions, deflector means within said device having a concave lower edge for directing air around the neck of a person treated, means for holding the device in extended position including bottom members having spaced side engaging portions engaging the sides at spaced intervals.

6. A hair drier comprising a readily collapsible casing of relatively thin material having a top portion inclined forwardly and upwardly and gradually increasing in size towards its forward end, a front portion extending downwardly from the forward end of said top portion, air deflecting means having a concave lower edge, and means for adjustably mounting said air deflecting means within said casing.

7. A hair drier comprising a readily collapsible casing, said casing having a flexible fire resistant fabric covering, a plurality of bows supporting said casing, the opposite ends of all of said bows being pivotally connected, certain of said bows being provided with a deflecting member having a concave lower edge, whereby the direction and quantity of air passing through said casing may be adjustably controlled.

DERMONT B. CRAFTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 623,153 Hillerman et a1 Apr. 18, 1899 666,638 Beebe Jan. 29, 1901 671,077 Blondel Apr. 2, 1901 1,070,716 Myers Aug. 19, 1913 1,835,337 Rose Dec. 8, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 313,894 Great Britain June 17, 1929 

